Rewriting History
by Little Minamino
Summary: History says that Prince Zannanza died in route to Egypt and never became the Pharaoh as was intended. But what if that wasn't the case? A collection of one-shots about Zannanza and his new queen.
1. Senet

Rewriting History

The marriage of Prince Zannanza Hattusili of Hittite and Princess Ankhesenamen of Egypt was widely and magnanimously celebrated, but Zannanza was certain that most, if not all, of his new subjects were opposed to the marriage. And he could hardly blame them. The idea of a foreigner, especially from a country that had so long been their enemy, marrying into the Hittite family and becoming emperor—or Tavananna at the very least—sickened the young prince. His presence as the new Egyptian Pharaoh was undoubtedly just as disgusting to the Egyptians. His new wife not excluded. Zannanza wondered what had possibly possessed her to request such a marriage in the first place.

It was nearly dark, the sun having set only minutes ago, with the last few rays of red-gold slowly dying out on the horizon. He did his very best not to perceive the blood red color as a bad omen. Soft footsteps outside of his chamber door made Zannanza look up from where he'd been surveying Thebes from the window. The outline of a woman, undoubtedly Zannanza's new wife, was projected against the sheer gold curtains and he pushed out of his lounging position to receive her properly. After an almost audible hesitation, the curtain parted and Ankhesenamen stepped nervously inside.

Zannanza watched her with careful curiosity as she slowly approached. At their wedding she carried herself with strength and confidence and he couldn't help but notice how radiantly beautiful she appeared in her royal garments. She was dressed more simply now, though still within the bounds of her station, and her face was free from makeup except for a thin line of charcoal that traced the outline of her eyes. Gone was the steadfast and immovable strength from before, but somehow Zannanza didn't mind. She looked timid, shy, and incredibly unsure of herself, and yet there she was; alone with him in his chambers. If nothing else, she was certainly brave.

"You're Highness Hattusili," Ankhesenamen said with a careful and beautiful bow. "I am grateful for your acquiescence to my selfish request. I wish you strength and compassion in your rule and ask that you treat my people with the dignity and respect you would grant unto your own."

Her voice was trembling slightly and Zannanza's gut twisted uncomfortably. She was frightened of him. He was sorely tempted to give the polite response required from such a diplomatic gesture and then dismiss her, but his promise to Yuuri was strong in his mind. It might be impossible to love this princess as boldly as he had declared to the Lady Ishtar but, at the very least, he could make it so that he and Princess Ankhesenamen were not enemies.

"There is no need to address me so formally, Princess," Zannanza said as he stood from the couch and slowly crossed the room to where Ankhesenamen stood with her head still bowed. "I wish for you to be yourself around me, if you would grant me the courtesy of doing the same."

Ankhesenamen was practically trembling as his shadow fell over her small, fragile body. "If that is your wish, Highness."

"Ankhesenamen," Zannanza said, his hand coming up to rest gently on her chin. She flinched and his brows drew together in a mixture of annoyance and concern. "Ankhesenamen." He repeated firmly, raising her chin so that their eyes would meet. "There is no reason to be afraid. I am your husband and, by treaty or no, I will honor and protect you to the best of my abilities. If there is only one person in this entire world who would have nothing to fear from me, it would be you."

Confusion filled Ankhesenamen golden brown eyes. "I . . . am grateful for your words highness."

"But?" Zannanza prompted and Ankhesenamen shook her head, clearly unwilling to continue. The prince bit back a sigh and decided to change tactics. "Do you play Senet, Princess?" He asked and Ankhesenamen blinked in surprise. "I'm rather fond of the game myself and there happens to be a board on the table. Would you be willing to play with me?"

Still surprised, and undoubtedly confused, Ankhesenamen slowly nodded. "I do play, Highness. And if it is your desire, I shall join you."

Pretending that she wasn't implying that his request was an order, Zannanza gave Ankhesenamen a bright smile and gently took her hand. "I'll have you know, I'm a rather fabulous player. I have lost to only one person in my entire life, and I doubt anyone would be able to beat him."

A small smile tugged on the princess's lips as she allowed herself to be guided to a chair. "Your Highness is very confident."

Zannanza gave her a cheeky grin as he took the chair across from her and began setting up the board. "Give me a reason not to be?" he said, and Ankhesenamen finally smiled.

"If you so wish it."

End

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Kaliea: So I was re-reading Red River and I've decided that it totally sucks that Zannanza died because he's AWESOME. So I say screw history and Zannanza survives. Hurray for time-stream manipulation! Anyway, this is probably a one-shot but I might continue it so I'm leaving it 'unfinished' for now. If nothing else, I can always add other one-shots here and there to make a collection. We'll see :) Anyway, thanks for reading and, as always, don't forget to review! Ja for now!


	2. Husband

Husband

Princess Ankhesenamen was extremely confused. It had been three weeks since her marriage to Prince Zannanza of Hittite and yet he hadn't so much as given her a lustful glance. To her utter bemusement, each time Ankhesenamen presented herself in her husband's chamber for the night, he requested that they play a game (or several games) of Senet.

The stakes were simple: with each captured piece the captor could ask one question. When a game was won, the winner could make one request. The person with the most wins at the end of the week won the 'round' and had the privilege of starting first in the next four games as well as being able to ask four questions and receive four requests. A new round began on the first day of the new week.

"Ha-hah!" Zannanza exclaimed as he finally cornered her pieces. "At last we find ourselves even with a score of seven-seven!"

"Your hand seems to be improving." Ankhesenamen teased. "Perhaps you shall soon be able to defeat your unbeatable man."

"I'm no longer seeing it as an impossibility," Zannanza agreed. "Though I certainly have many more games to play—and win—before I would endeavor to even attempt such a thing again. He humiliated me quite spectacularly in our last game."

Ankhesenamen chuckled politely and decided against reminding him of the rather humiliating defeat she dealt him in their first game of Senet. Their first, but most assuredly not their last. So far, Ankhesenamen had won every round, but Zannanza was rapidly improving. He had just won his fifth game in a row and, if he continued in such a way, Ankhesenamen had no doubts he would win the round when the week ended in two days.

"And what is it that my king will request of me tonight?" Ankhesenamen teased, only to stop short when she realized how her words could be taken. Slight apprehension made her stomach clench, but she forced it away. His last four requests had been very respectful and in no way invasive. A walk through the palace, a pleasant picnic on the roof, a short boat ride down the Nile and a quiet dinner together were hardly diabolical. She had actually greatly enjoyed them.

They mostly talked about themselves, their likes and dislikes and such, but occasionally their conversations would turn to politics or religion and Ankhesenamen was extremely pleased to learn that their policies and beliefs were very closely in sync. She had long stopped worrying about the direction the new Pharaoh was taking her country and instead allowed herself to enjoy his company. Each day she learned more about who her husband was as a person, rather than just as a ruler or former enemy. It also helped that he was very charming.

He was very polite and respectful and he never pushed her for anything. If anything, he was encouraging her to retain her own space, but she couldn't tell if it was because he didn't want her or because he didn't want to force her. He was a puzzle, something for her to piece together and figure out. And curses to all the Gods but Ankhesenamen greatly enjoyed puzzles.

"Hm," Zannanza said with a slight frown. "There is one particular request I have been hesitating to make. I had hoped it would come naturally but it seems that is not the case. And while I am loathe to force the issue, it is my request to make."

Ankhesenamen's hear skipped in her chest and she wondered in a moment of wild panic if this would be the night their marriage was finally consummated. Could she do it? Was she ready? As his queen and his wife it was obviously expected that they would share a bed, how else was she to provide an heir? But it had been barely four months since her last husband, Tutankhamen died. And despite their youth, she had deeply cared for him. To sleep with another man, even if that man was her lawful husband, felt wrong somehow. And yet Zannanza was her husband. By law, he had every right to her.

Squaring her shoulders and strengthening her resolve, Ankhesenamen met her husband's eyes. "I am ready to hear your request my Lord."

Zannanza sighed. "It is that."

Ankhesenamen tilted her head. 'That' meaning what, exactly? "You're Majesty?"

"It is that, Ankhesenamen. I am not your majesty or your highness or your lord or any other such thing. I am your husband. My request is that you address me as such. I may be the Pharaoh, but you are my queen. We are not unequal, you and I."

Again Ankhesenamen found herself completely taken aback. "You want me to change my address of you?"

"I would like it if you would."

"I—" She was at a complete loss for words.

"Will you think on it?" He asked with that familiar pout that Ankhesenamen couldn't help but find adorable. Her resolve melted in an instant.

"What is there to think on?" She asked. "Your request is odd, but hardly extraordinary. I merely can't imagine why you would waste the opportunity for something so trivial."

"It's hardly trivial." Zannanza said. "I've been waiting for you to stop being so formal since our first night together."

Ankhesenamen laughed. "You could hardly call our wedding night our 'first night together'."

"Well," Zannanza said almost sheepishly. "Maybe not in the traditional sense."

Ankhesenamen 'hmm'd only to be cut off by a sudden yawn. "Forgive me, I seem to have reached my limit for the night."

"Of course," Zannanza said as he stood and then helped her from her chair. "Shall I see you again tomorrow?"

She studied him for a moment and realized that he actually wanted her to come. Not Ankhesenamen the queen or princess or noble, but merely Ankhesenamen the woman. He enjoyed her company as much as she enjoyed his. They were husband and wife but they were also more than that. They were friends. The concept nearly floored her. She was friends with the son one of Egypt's greatest enemies. Well, former enemies.

Ankhesenamen smiled at him, brightly and honestly happy, and he drew in a soft breath. "You shall." She said as she bowed slightly and made her way out of the room. Pausing slightly in the doorway she couldn't help but glance back with a teasing grin. "Goodnight Husband."

The bewildered look on Zannanza's face made her laugh quietly as she left. It felt so nice to be able to tease him so freely. It was a freedom she'd never had with even Tutankhamen. Zannanza's echoing laugh followed Ankhesenamen all the way back to her rooms and, as she undressed for the night, she decided firmly that she would win the next game. She had her own request to make.

End Husband

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Kaliea: I don't really have much to say about this one, except that I find these two rather adorable ^-^ I don't know if I'll write anymore, but it's certainly not impossible. Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review!


	3. Promotion

Intruder

Nefert always insisted that Ramses' mouth would be the end of him. But considering she would always say it at the top of her lungs while chasing him with a pillow, he never really took her seriously. Now, as he stood in the grand audience chamber of the Thebes palace with the new foreign Pharaoh staring down at him, Ramses was beginning to wonder if his sister had foresight from the Gods. And wouldn't that just be a happy thing for her to lord over his head later? Assuming, of course, he still _had_ a head later.

"General Ramses." The Hittite Intruder (Ramses refused to address him by the esteemed name of Pharaoh) said. "I have heard much of you and your exploits on behalf of this great nation."

"Thank-you you're Majesty." Ramses said, his head still bowed as he knelt before the throne. He wasn't bowing to the Intruder however. He was bowing to his queen Ankhesenamen who sat, disgustingly, in the throne on the Intruder's right side. The idea of this man with his queen made Ramses feel sick to his stomach.

"I have also heard," The Intruder continued, "That you do not approve of my instatement as Pharaoh. You feel that my presence here disrupts the greatness and glory that your kingdom might attain under a proper Egyptian ruler. Is that not the case?"

Rather wishing he'd taken the time to say good-bye to his family properly, Ramses nodded slowly in assent. "I have spoken to such an effect."

"I see." There was a heavy pause in which Ramses did his best to tune out the whispers of the on-lookers who, it seemed, were all certain that the general would meet his untimely end. Ramses could hardly dispute their logic. "Councilman Ay."

"You're Majesty?" the elderly man said as he stepped up beside the throne.

"See to it that General Ramses is instated as an advisor on my personal council."

Dead silence followed that announcement and Ramses' head shot up in utter shock. Certainly he'd heard wrong. After all, he couldn't possibly have just been _promoted_.

"To your . . . council, Majesty?" Ay said haltingly and Ramses watched with a detached sense of awe as the Intruder nodded.

"As I said. General Ramses shall retain his position over the armies, but I would also have him be a part of my council. I feel that his experience and dedication to Egypt will be of great assistance to me."

"Of . . . of course sir." Ay said, he was apparently as floored as everyone else in the room. Everyone, Ramses noticed, except for the queen. She seemed completely unaffected by this unprecedented appointment. It was as though she had been expecting it. Could the Intruder have spoken with her of his plans? That was . . . highly irregular.

While Egyptian women weren't the subservient wall ornaments that other country's women were, they still didn't have much status when it came to politics. Only the Dowager Queen Nefertiti could boast such powers, and even hers had its. Queen Ankhesenamen was the widow of the former Pharaoh Tutankhamen but even then she was mostly shown as his silent supporter. In fact, Ramses couldn't think of a single instance where he heard of Tutankhamen entrusting Ankhesenamen with any matter of state, let alone something so delicate as entrusting a potential enemy (which he undoubtedly was in the eyes of the Intruder) with a position of power and influence.

Somehow, Ankhesenamen's esteem as a leader and queen rose marginally in Ramses' eyes. Perhaps she wasn't as simpering and weak-willed as he had always assumed. It was something to keep in mind as he continued his rise in the ranks.

And speaking of which . . .

"You honor me," Ramses said, keeping his tone formal enough that he would have to address the Intruder by the honored titles of Pharaoh or Lord or Majesty. "I shall strive to do honor by you as well."

"I am sure you shall." The Intruder said with a kind smile which, apparently, was a dismissal because he stood without further comment and turned to the queen. "Your chariot awaits my queen."

It was said so lowly that, had Ramses not been kneeling at the base of the short stairs he never would have heard it. To his surprise, a ghost of a smile touched the queen's carefully painted mouth. He had never once seen the queen smile. Not even when the lord Pharaoh Tutankhamen was alive.

"Do not think this absolves you." The queen responded as she took the Intruder's hand and allowed him to pull her gracefully to her feet. "This is only your first set. The next, I assure you, shall be mine once again."

The intruder chuckled lowly and kissed the queen's hand. "I look forward to it." He guided Ankhesenamen from the chamber and, once they were gone, a buzz of gossip instantly irrupted. Ramses, for his part, barely heard a word. He was still struck dumb by the obvious changes in his queen and he wondered if they were for the better. He was honestly inclined to believe that they were and that made a feeling of satisfaction stir in his belly. Ankhesenamen was becoming a woman that any king would feel honored to have stand by his side.

The Intrude had better enjoy having her while it lasted, because Ramses was a man that knew what he wanted, and Ankhesenamen was rapidly becoming the focus of that want. That, however, was something he would keep to himself. Targeting the queen was not the sort of news that would get him a second promotion. Not even from that Intruder.

End Intruder

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Kaliea: So this is from Ramses' point of view and it's kind of garbled because I wanted to show the relationship between Zannanza and Ankhesenamen while still keeping it in the proper binds of propriety. I didn't do as well as I hoped I would but whatever. If I try this experiment again, it will definitely be in a less rigid environment. And seeing as Ramses isn't exactly my favorite character, I'll probably steer clear of his POV in the future. It doesn't help that he's rather hard to write either. But anyway, thanks as always for reading, and don't forget to review!


End file.
